Construction material transport container for material delivery and used material removal

ABSTRACT

A construction material transport container includes four side doors that form substantially all of two side walls of the container. The container includes transversely disposed forklift pockets that can be used to load the container onto a flatbed truck. With the container on a truck and the side doors open, new construction materials can be loaded onto the container from both sides. Both the container and the new materials can be delivered to a job side by a single delivery using a truck-attached forklift. The empty container can then be used as a receptacle for recyclable materials. The container further includes roll-off or hook lift vehicle tracks configured so that the container can be picked up and hauled to a recycling or refuse center. A rear door of the container can be opened so that the container can be tilted by the vehicle to offload the used material.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject matter of this application is related to U.S. applicationSer. No. 15/201,162 (with which the present application shares a commonspecification and figures), filed Jul. 1, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,701,466, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

In the residential roofing industry, when replacing an asphalt shingleroof, new shingles must be delivered to a job site and old shingles mustbe removed from the job site. To remove old shingles from the job site,a container is typically delivered and left by a roll-off or hook liftvehicle, the container is loaded with old shingles, and then a roll-offor hook lift vehicle returns, picks up the container, takes thecontainer to a recycling or refuse site to be emptied. The vehicle thenreturns the container to inventory or delivers it to another job site.Three separate round-trips, therefore, are typically required to the jobsite including the delivery of the new materials, the drop off of theempty container, and the pickup of the filled container.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a construction material transportcontainer includes four side doors that form substantially all of twoside walls of the container. The container includes transverselydisposed forklift pockets that can be used with a forklift to load thecontainer onto a flatbed truck. With the side doors swung open towardsthe interior of the container, a forklift operator can safely seethrough the container without obstruction when handling the container.With the container placed on a truck and the side doors open, newconstruction materials, such as roofing shingles, can be loaded onto thecontainer from both sides. In this manner, since the new materials areloaded onto the container, which has been placed on the truck, both thecontainer and the new materials can be delivered to a job site by asingle round-trip delivery, instead of two, while using only a smallamount of extra space on the bed of the truck.

At the job site, the new materials can be similarly removed using atruck-attached forklift or a boom truck crane. The truck-attachedforklift or boom truck crane can also be used to remove the containerand place it at the job site. The empty container's doors can be closedso it can then be used as a receptacle for recyclable or refusematerials, such as used shingles. The container further includes tracksand attachment points configured so that the container, filled with usedmaterial, can be picked up and hauled by either a roll-off or hook liftvehicle to a recycling or refuse center. A rear door of the containercan be opened so that the container can be tilted by the vehicle tooffload the used material. Accordingly, the typical three round-trips tothe job site to deliver new construction materials and pick up usedmaterials can be reduced to two round-trips.

The container can be configured with one or more interior doors thatpartition off one or more separate sections of the container fortransport of smaller items to or from the job site. The container can beconfigured with top stacking couplings on a top side of the containerand bottom stacking couplings on a bottom side of the container. Thestacking couplings can be used to stack multiple containers atop oneanother for storage. The container can be configured with two or morecable attachment points at which an overhead cables can be attached tolift the container. The cable attachment points can be used by a boomtruck crane with cables to lift the container onto or off of a boomtruck bed.

In one aspect, a material transport container includes: a base frameassembly including: a floor for supporting contained materials, a baseframe configured for supporting the floor, the base frame including: twolongitudinally disposed tracks configured for receipt upon a transportvehicle, and two forklift pockets transversely disposed perpendicular tothe tracks, each of the plurality of forklift pockets configured forreceiving a forklift blade, and a front wall extending upward from andperpendicular to the floor and extending inward from each of two sidesof the base frame assembly towards the other of the two sides of thebase frame assembly; a plurality side doors hinged to the base frameassembly, wherein each side door is: configured to swivel orthogonallyto the floor, configured to form at least a portion of one of two sidewalls of the container when in a closed position, and disposed above andorthogonal to, when in a closed position and when viewed from a sideelevation view of the container, at least one of the forklift pockets;and one or more rear doors hinged to the base frame assembly, the one ormore rear doors configured to swivel orthogonally to the floor and toform substantially all of a rear wall of the container when in a closedposition, wherein each rear door is disposed above and orthogonal to,when in a closed position and when viewed from a rear elevation view ofthe container, at least one of the tracks.

The container can be configured such that, for at least two of theplurality of side doors, the two side doors are positioned on oppositesides of the container when in a closed position.

The container can be configured such that the plurality of side doorsare configured to open by at least swinging inward over the floor.

The container can be configured such that the plurality of side doorsincludes four side doors, and such that two of the four side doors arepositioned on opposite sides of the base frame assembly from another twoof the four side doors when the four side doors are in a closedposition.

The container can be configured such that each of the forklift pocketsincludes a sleeve configured for receiving a forklift blade.

The container can be configured such that each of the forklift pocketsfurther includes at least one pass-through passing through one of thetracks and permitting passage of a forklift blade through the track.

The container can further include a coupling bar configured to begrasped by a hook lift transport vehicle in order to load the containeron the hook lift transport vehicle.

The container can further include a cable hook configured to be graspedby a winch cable in order to load the container upon a roll-offtransport vehicle.

The container can further include at least one interior door hinged tothe base frame assembly, the at least one interior door configured toswivel orthogonally to the floor and configured to divide the containerinto a plurality of interior spaces.

The container can further include a cable hook housing integrated intothe front wall.

The container can further include four bottom stacking couplingspositioned on a bottom side of the base frame and four top stackingcouplings each positioned on or above one of the two side walls, thebottom stacking couplings and the top stacking couplings configured tobe aligned and received by top stacking couplings and bottom stackingcouplings respectively of other similarly configured containers, tosupport stacking of multiple material transport containers atop oneanother.

The container can be configured such that each of the side doorsincludes a panel section, wherein the panel section is formed from arigid composite material that is not primarily metal.

The container can be configured such that the floor is formed from therigid composite material.

The container can be configured such that the rigid composite materialis fiberglass reinforced polymer.

The container can be configured such that the base frame is formedprimarily of metal.

The container can be configured such that the base frame assemblyfurther includes four upright sections extending upwardly from the baseframe orthogonal to the floor, wherein the side doors and the at leastone rear door are each hinged to one of the four upright sections.

The container can be configured such that each of the four uprightsections is an I-beam section.

The container can be configured such that each of the four metal I-beamsections includes a lift cable attachment point at a top end of theI-beam section.

The container can be configured such that each of the four metal I-beamsections includes a top end portion configured to be aligned with andreceived by bottom stacking couplings of other similarly configuredcontainers to support stacking of multiple material transport containersatop one another.

In one aspect, a material transport container includes: a base frameassembly including: a floor for supporting contained materials, and abase frame configured for supporting the floor, the base frame includingtwo longitudinally disposed tracks configured for receipt upon atransport vehicle, and a front wall extending upward from andperpendicular to the floor and extending inward from each of two sidesof the base frame assembly towards the other of the two sides of thebase frame assembly; two pairs of side doors hinged to the base frameassembly, configured to swivel orthogonally to the floor, and positionedon opposite sides of the container, wherein each pair of side doorsextends along an opening of at least two thirds of a length of a side ofthe container when the side doors are in a closed position; and one ormore rear doors hinged to the base frame assembly, the one or more reardoors configured to swivel orthogonally to the floor and to formsubstantially all of a rear wall of the container when in a closedposition, wherein each rear door is disposed above and orthogonal to,when in a closed position and when viewed from a rear elevation view ofthe container, at least one of the tracks.

The container can be configured such that the base frame assemblyfurther includes a plurality of cable attachment points configured forlifting the container from overhead.

The container can be configured such that the opening is at least threequarters of the length of the side of the container.

The container can be configured such that the side doors are configuredto open by at least swinging inward over the floor.

In one aspect, a method for delivering materials and a materialtransport container includes: loading the material transport containeronto a transport vehicle, wherein the material transport containercomprises side doors that can be opened to form openings along two sidesof the container, wherein each of the openings has a width that extendsalong at least two thirds of a length of the container; opening the sidedoors of the material transport container to form the openings; whilethe material transport container is on the transport vehicle, a forkliftloading materials onto the container from both of the two sides of thecontainer through the openings without the forklift boarding thetransport container; navigating the transport vehicle, loaded with thematerial transport container and the materials, to a destination; whilethe material transport container is on the transport vehicle, using amachine to unload the materials from the container from both of the twosides of the container through the openings; and after unloading thematerials, using the same machine to unload the material transportcontainer from the vehicle.

The method can be performed such that the machine is selected from agroup consisting of: a truck-mounted forklift and a boom truck crane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-D illustrate a material transport container in variousconfigurations in accordance with one embodiment.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate a latching mechanism for latching a rear door in aclosed position in accordance with the illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a base frame assembly in accordance with theillustrated embodiment, omitting the doors of the container.

FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric perspective view of the bottom of thecontainer in accordance with the illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top plan view of the container in accordance withthe illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a rear elevation view of the container in accordancewith the illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side elevation view of the container in accordancewith the illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a front elevation view of the container in accordancewith the illustrated embodiment.

FIGS. 9A-C illustrate three different views of multiple containers in astacked configuration in accordance with the illustrated embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, references are made to various embodimentsin accordance with which the disclosed subject matter can be practiced.Multiple references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” do notnecessarily refer to the same embodiment. Particular features,structures or characteristics associated with such embodiments can becombined in any suitable manner in various embodiments. References arealso made to the accompanying drawings in which the same referencenumbers are used throughout to refer to the same or like components.

FIGS. 1A-D illustrate a material transport container 100 in variousconfigurations in accordance with one embodiment. The container 100includes one rear door 102, two pairs of side doors 104A-D, and twointerior doors 106A-B. The rear door 102, when closed, can form part orsubstantially all of a rear wall of the container 100. The side doors104, when closed, can form part or substantially all of two side wallsof the container 100. FIG. 1A illustrates the container 100 with all itsdoors in closed positions. FIG. 1B illustrates the container 100 withits side doors 104A-D latched in an open position, swung to the interiorof the container. FIG. 1C illustrates the container 100 with its reardoor 102 held in an open position, swung around the outside of thecontainer. FIG. 1D illustrates the container 100 with its two interiordoors 106A-B in an open position, providing interior access to aseparate section of the container.

In accordance with one embodiment, a single larger side door can besubstituted for each pair of side doors. In accordance with oneembodiment, more than two doors, or multiple pairs of doors can beincluded on each side optionally supported by added uprights or posts towhich the additional doors are hinged.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate a latching mechanism 200 for latching the reardoor 102 in a closed position in accordance with the illustratedembodiment. FIG. 2A illustrates the rear door 102 in a closed position,secured by the latching mechanism 200. FIG. 2B illustrates the latchingmechanism 200 in an unlatched position with the rear door not shown,having been moved to an open position. The latching mechanism 200 caninclude a vertically aligned rotating shaft with two latch arms 204 thatcatch on catches 206 on the rear door 102. The shaft can be rotated byhand using an arm 208 attached to the shaft and which swivels outward toincrease leverage. When the shaft is rotated into a closed position, thearm 208 can be swiveled down and fixed in place by a catch 212, andfurther secured by a locking pin 214 that can be passed through a tab onthe arm 208 and the catch 212. FIG. 2A also illustrates a chain 220attached to an end of the rear door 102 that can be used to secure therear door in a fully open position alongside a side of the container.

FIG. 3 illustrates a base frame assembly 300 in accordance with theillustrated embodiment, omitting the doors of the container 100. Thebase frame assembly 300 includes a floor 302 for supporting containedmaterials. The floor 302 is supported by a base frame 304, which caninclude perimeter and grid structure of rectangular steel tubing andribs, as shown in additional detail in FIG. 4. The floor 302 can beformed from one or more floor panels 303A-C. In one embodiment, thefloor panels 303 can be steel panels, which can be welded in place onthe base frame 304. In one embodiment, one or more of the floor panelscan be made of a weight-saving composite material, such as a fiberglassreinforced polymer, which can be adhered in place using an adhesive. Onecomposite material product that can be used for the floor panels isSAFPLATE, which is manufactured from EXTREN by STRONGWELL OF Bristol,Va., U.S.A.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base frame assembly 300 includes afront wall 306 that extends at a perpendicular upward from the floor andextends inward from each of two sides of the base frame assembly 300towards the other of the two sides of the base frame assembly 300. Inone embodiment, a cable hook housing 308 can be integrated into thefront wall 306, the floor 302 and the base frame 304 to accommodatespace for a winch mechanism used on typical on roll-off transportvehicles. The base frame 304 can also include a cable hook 310configured to be grasped by a winch cable in order to load the containerupon a roll-off transport. The cable hook 310 can be positioned withinthe cable hook housing 308.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base frame assembly includes acoupling bar 312 configured to be grasped by a hook lift transportvehicle in order to load the container on the hook lift transportvehicle. The coupling bar 312 can be positioned within the cable hookhousing 308. In one embodiment, the cable hook housing 308 and the cablehook 310 can be omitted, and the front wall 306 configured to extendstraight across the front of the container without interruption. In thisembodiment, the coupling bar 312 can be mounted to an outside portion ofthe front wall 306. In one embodiment, the cable hook 310 can be mountedto the front of the base frame 304 without a cable hook housing.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base frame assembly 300 includes fourupright sections 320A-D that extend upwardly orthogonal to the floor 302and to which doors can be hinged. In the illustrated embodiment, the tworear upright sections 320A-B are positioned at or near the rear cornersof the container while the two front upright sections 320C-D are offsetfrom the front corners of the container. In the illustrated embodiment,a section of side wall extends from each front upright section 320C-D tothe front corner of the container. In one embodiment, the two frontupright sections 320C-D can be positioned at or near the front cornersof the container such that the two front side doors are hinged closer tothe front of the container. In one embodiment, the rear upright sections320A-B can be offset from the rear corners of the container along eitherthe rear or the sides of the container. In one embodiment, the uprightsections can be integrated into or formed by sections of side walls ofthe container.

In the illustrated embodiment, the upright sections 320 or portions ofthe upright sections are formed using steel I-beam sections that arewelded to the base frame 304. The top of each I-beam section can serveas one of four top stacking pedestals or couplings 330 upon whichanother container can be positioned in order to stack multiplecontainers as illustrated in FIGS. 9A-C. The top of each I-beam sectioncan also include a hole or attachment point 332 to which lift hooks orcables can be attached for lifting and moving the container, such as bya boom truck crane.

In accordance with one embodiment, the length of the container isapproximately 144″, the width of the container is approximately 96″, theheight of the side walls or doors extends approximately 48″ above thefloor, and the openings on the sides of the container formed by the sidedoors are approximately 114 inches in length. In accordance with oneembodiment, the openings on the sides of the container formed by theside doors extend along at least ⅔ of the length of the container. Inaccordance with one embodiment, the openings on the sides of thecontainer formed by the side doors extend along at least ¾ of the lengthof the container. In accordance with one embodiment, the openings on thesides of the container formed by the side doors extend along at least ⅞of the length of the container. In accordance with one embodiment, theopenings on the sides of the container formed by the side doors extendalong substantially all of the length of the container.

FIG. 4 illustrates an isometric perspective view of the bottom of thecontainer 100 in accordance with the illustrated embodiment. The baseframe 304 can be constructed of a perimeter of rectangular steel tubesurrounding a grid of rectangular steel tube and ribs. The base frame304 can include two longitudinally disposed tracks 404 for guiding thecontainer on and off of transport vehicles, such as roll-off or hooklift vehicles.

The base frame 304 can also include two or more forklift pockets 410transversely disposed perpendicular to the tracks. The forklift pockets410 are openings in the base frame 304 configured to receive the tinesof a forklift from a side of the container. In the illustratedembodiment, the forklift pockets 410 are formed in part by sleeves 412attached to the underside of the base frame 304 and in part by openings414 in the tracks 404. The pockets 410 can be constructed by providingholes and/or sleeves in or through any additional or suitable structurewithin or on the base frame 304.

The base frame 304 can also include a set of bottom stacking couplings420 configured to receive the top stacking couplings 330 of anothercontainer when multiple containers are stacked. The base frame 304 canalso include tab 422 with a chain keyhole configured to receive thechain 220 of the rear door to secure the rear door in a fully openposition.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top plan view of the container 100 in accordancewith the illustrated embodiment. As shown, the side doors 104 are shownin an open position, swung towards the interior of the container. In theillustrated embodiment, the hinges are configured such that the sidedoors swing only inwards. In one embodiment, however, the hinges can berepositioned so that the side doors can swing either inwards oroutwards. FIG. 5 also illustrates two interior spaces 502A-B, created bythe interior doors 106, separate from the container's main compartment.These separate spaces can be used, for example, to deliver less bulkynew construction materials, such as fasteners, adhesives, etc. thatmight otherwise not be easily secured within the main compartment. Theseparate spaces can also be used, after the delivery of new materials,to collect non-recyclable material when the main compartment is used forrecyclable materials, such as asphalt roofing shingles.

FIG. 6 illustrates a rear elevation view of the container 100 inaccordance with the illustrated embodiment. In the illustratedembodiment, when viewed from the rear elevation view, the rear door 102is positioned above and orthogonal to the tracks 404 when the rear dooris in a closed position. In one embodiment, two rear doors can be usedin place of the one illustrated rear door in a configuration similar tothe side doors as illustrated in other figures.

The rear door 102, shown in a closed position, can be constructed of arectangular steel tubing frame 602 that supports a number of door panels604. In one embodiment, the door panels 604 can be steel panels, whichcan be welded in place on the frame 602. In one embodiment, one or moreof the door panels can be made of a weight-saving composite material,such as the same material used for the floor panels 303. The compositepanels can be secured in place, for example, using a blind stopconfiguration with a retainer or using a C-channel attached to the frame602. The side doors 104 and interior doors 106 can also be constructedusing one or more of the foregoing techniques.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side elevation view of the container in accordancewith the illustrated embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, whenviewed from the side elevation view, the side doors 104 would each bepositioned above and orthogonal to one of the forklift pockets 410 whenthe side doors are in a closed position. When the side doors 104 are inan open position, a forklift operator lifting and moving the containercan safely see through the container without his vision being obstructedby a container wall or door.

FIG. 8 illustrates a front elevation view of the container in accordancewith the illustrated embodiment.

FIGS. 9A-C illustrate three different views of multiple containers in astacked configuration in accordance with the illustrated embodiment.

Although the subject matter has been described in terms of certainembodiments, other embodiments, including embodiments which may or maynot provide various features and advantages set forth herein will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the foregoingdisclosure. The specific embodiments described above are disclosed asexamples only, and the scope of the patented subject matter is definedby the claims that follow.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A material transport container comprising:a base frame assembly comprising: a floor for supporting containedmaterials, a base frame configured for supporting the floor, and a frontwall extending upward from and perpendicular to the floor and extendinginward from each of two sides of the base frame assembly towards theother of the two sides of the base frame assembly; a plurality of sidedoors hinged to the base frame assembly, wherein each side door is:configured to swivel orthogonally to the floor, configured to open by atleast swinging inward over the floor, and configured to form at least aportion of one of two side walls of the container when in a closedposition, and wherein for at least two of the plurality of side doors,the two side doors are positioned on opposite sides of the containerwhen the two side doors are in a closed position; and one or more reardoors hinged to the base frame assembly, the one or more rear doorsconfigured to swivel orthogonally to the floor and to form substantiallyall of a rear wall of the container when in a closed position, whereinthe floor, the front wall, the plurality of side doors and the one ormore rear doors create an open top receptacle into which material can beloaded when the doors are closed.
 2. The container of claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of side doors has a swinging end opposite a hingedend, and wherein the swinging ends of the two side doors are configuredto extend past one another when the two side doors are swung inward toan open position over the floor.
 3. The container of claim 1, whereinthe two of the plurality of side doors are configured to be opened andsecured over the floor to provide an open path for visual sight from oneside through and past an opposite side of the container.
 4. Thecontainer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of side doors comprises twosets of double doors, wherein each set of double doors includes a righthinged door and a left hinged door positioned to create a single openpassageway, and wherein one set of double doors is positioned on anopposite side of the base frame assembly from another of the set ofdouble doors.
 5. The container of claim 1, wherein the base frameassembly further comprises a plurality of cable attachment pointsconfigured for lifting the container from overhead.
 6. The container ofclaim 1, further comprising a coupling bar configured to be grasped by ahook lift transport vehicle in order to load the container on the hooklift transport vehicle.
 7. The container of claim 6, further comprisinga cable hook configured to be grasped by a winch cable in order to loadthe container upon a roll-off transport vehicle.
 8. The container ofclaim 7, further comprising a cable hook housing integrated into thefront wall.
 9. The container of claim 1, further comprising at least oneinterior door hinged to the base frame assembly, the at least oneinterior door configured to swivel orthogonally to the floor andconfigured to divide the container into a plurality of interior spaces.10. The container of claim 1, further comprising four bottom stackingcouplings positioned on a bottom side of the base frame and four topstacking couplings each positioned on or above one of the two sidewalls, the bottom stacking couplings and the top stacking couplingsconfigured to be aligned and received by top stacking couplings andbottom stacking couplings respectively of other similarly configuredcontainers, to support stacking of multiple material transportcontainers atop one another.
 11. The container of claim 1, wherein thebase frame further comprises two forklift pockets, each of the pluralityof forklift pockets configured for receiving a forklift blade.
 12. Thecontainer of claim 11, wherein the base frame comprises two trackstransversely disposed perpendicular to the forklift pockets andconfigured for receipt upon a transport vehicle.
 13. The container ofclaim 12, wherein each of the plurality of side doors is disposed aboveand orthogonal to, when in a closed position and when viewed from a sideelevation view of the container, at least one of the forklift pockets,and wherein each rear door is disposed above and orthogonal to, when ina closed position and when viewed from a rear elevation view of thecontainer, at least one of the tracks.
 14. The container of claim 12,wherein each of the forklift pockets further comprises at least onepass-through passing through one of the tracks and permitting passage ofa forklift blade through the track.
 15. The container of claim 1,wherein the base frame comprises two longitudinally disposed tracksconfigured for receipt upon a transport vehicle.
 16. The container ofclaim 1, wherein the base frame assembly further comprises four uprightsections extending upwardly from the base frame orthogonal to the floor,wherein the side doors and the at least one rear door are each hinged toone of the four upright sections.
 17. The container of claim 16, whereineach of the four upright sections comprises a lift cable attachmentpoint at a top end of the upright section.
 18. The container of claim16, wherein each of the four upright sections is formed from an I-beamsection, and wherein each of the four upright sections comprises a topend portion configured to be aligned with and received by bottomstacking couplings of other similarly configured containers to supportstacking of multiple material transport containers atop one another. 19.The container of claim 1, wherein each of the side doors comprises apanel section, wherein the panel section is formed from a rigidcomposite material that is not primarily metal.
 20. The container ofclaim 19, wherein the floor is formed from a rigid composite materialthat is not primarily metal.
 21. The container of claim 1, wherein eachof the side doors comprises a panel section, and wherein each panelsection and the floor are formed from fiberglass reinforced polymer. 22.The container of claim 1, wherein the front wall and the rear wall aredisposed orthogonally to the two side walls of the container.